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Tennis news - Emma Raducanu faces potential Simona Halep clash in Indian Wells third round as draw is revealed
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Published 05/10/2021 at 09:48 GMT+1
The women's draw for the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells has been revealed, with Britain's Emma Raducanu set to start against either world no 71 Maria Camila Osorio or world no 1000 Aliaksandra Sasnovich. It will be Raducanu's first match since winning the US Open last month, and she could then face Simona Halep in the third round.
Raducanu hits red carpet with Hollywood stars for James Bond premiere
Video credit: SNTV
Emma Raducanu could face her idol Simona Halep in a blockbuster third-round match at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.
Raducanu, 18, will be competing for the first time since her stunning US Open victory last month.
She has a bye for the first round as she is the 17th seed, so will start her first-ever WTA 1000 tournament against world no 71 Maria Camila Osorio or world no 1000 Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the second round on Friday or Saturday.
Halep, who is seeded 11th, won Indian Wells in 2015 and was born in Romania, along with Raducanu’s father Ian. She opens against Zhang Shuai or Marta Kostyuk in the second round.
Raducanu, now ranked no 22 in the world, will be coached by former British no 1 Jeremy Bates in Indian Wells following her split with Andrew Richardson after the US Open.
If she gets past Halep then seventh seed Petra Kvitova and fourth seed Elina Svitolina could be her next potential opponents.
Fellow Brit Katie Boulter did not make it through qualifying, but Heather Watson faces a tough first-round match as she faces former US Open champion Sloane Stephens.
A potential standout third-round match would see Grand Slam champions Kvitova and Victoria Azarenka face off.
Two-time Indian Wells champion Kim Clijsters, who is playing the event for the first time since 2011 as she continues her comeback, will start against world no 53 Katerina Siniakova. The winner of that match will face former world no 1 Angelique Kerber in the second round.
Madison Keys starts against Kaia Kanepi while defending champion Bianca Andreescu will meet either Alison Riske or a qualifier in the second round, and US Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez will face either Alize Cornet or a qualifier after her first-round bye.
The top four seeds at the tournament are Karolina Pliskova, Iga Swiatek, and Svitolina.
The women's first round starts on Wednesday, October 6, with the men's draw to be conducted Tuesday.
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